made my first plain cheese cake EVER!!!

so not to say i do things back ward but i have made my first totally plain cheesecake in the history of ever-i have made cheesecake for years but always chocolate and chocolate crust.  like i said i do things backward.  needless to say it was a huge success at the church potluck and i was asked to make two for the next lunch!   i am on a cloud!!! mostly my friends have eaten my cheesecake so this was a first....ok on to the recipe!

plain cheesecake:   oven preheated to 500 degrees with a large pan (big enough to fit your cheesecake pan) with an inch to two of water in it IN the oven.


ingredients:
5   8oz bricks of cream cheese room temp(this MUST be softened or it wont mix very well)
5 whole eggs room temp (temp isnt essential i have used eggs straight from the fridge-no ill effect)
2 yolks
3/4c white granulated sugar
1/2c heavy cream
zest of 1/2 lemon
1tsp vanilla

crust:
1 1/2c crushed gram crackers
2T granulated sugar
2T melted butter

directions:
in a food processor pulverize gram crackers once they are smooth add sugar and butter blend together.   i like a solid cheesecake pan mine is a 10 inch with a three inch lip that way there is no chance for any water to get in.   cut a piece of parchment paper the size of the bottom of your pan and place it in the bottom cover with crust and pack flat and set aside. 

cheesecake:    place all 5 bricks of cream cheese in a large bowl blend with a hand mixer.  add each egg and yolks separately blend and scrape after each.  add 1/4c of sugar at a time blend and scrape after each addition.  add 1/2c heavy cream blend and scrape.  add lemon zest blend and vanilla and blend.
pour batter on crust smooth surface.
*carefully*  open oven and pull out rack with large pan with hot water in it  place pan of cheesecake in water make sure water comes half way up the side of the cheesecake pan
*carefully* put everything back in the oven and close the door.
cook on 500 for *15*minutes
  after 15 turn oven down to ***300 and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes.***   once timer goes off turn off oven DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN leave the door shut dont open it. leave it shut until the oven is cold (i leave mine in for about 3 hours).  when it comes out of the oven  it will be cool to the touch-do not unpan right away let it sit for at least 10 hours. it is worth it. place plastic wrap on the surface of the cake and  refrigerate.

unpanning:   fill your large pan with hot water again and place cake in it.let sit for a few minutes.   using a thin knife slide between the cake and the pan and sweep all the way around the pan keeping the plastic on the cake.   place a cutting board on the top of the pan and flip it over-you should hear the cake fall on to the board if you dont tap the bottom until it falls-dont shake it.   once it falls lift the pan away peel off parchment paper if it stuck to the bottom of the cake.  put you favorite serving plate on the crust and holding BOTH the cutting board and the plate turn the cheesecake over.

take a deep breath you have just made a cheesecake.